Going Straight Ahead With These Scars
by Gwydion
Summary: He knew he would likely someday forget this feeling and again be tempted to sacrifice those he cared about to complete his goal, but perhaps, just maybe, this loud, insufferable usuratonkachi would be there to pull him back once more. (Rated T for mild gore and language.)


Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Title from the song "Sign" by Flow. Rated T for mild gore and language.

 _ **I'm Going Straight Ahead**_

* * *

He had to move. His legs were weak, and his knees trembled, but he knew he couldn't rest here. Someone else was sure to catch up to him, and at this point he wasn't sure who he would consider friend and who foe. Before he could take a single step, however, a sharp pain tore through his body, and with a cry, he gripped his shoulder tightly and fell to his knees.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he grit his teeth. He would need medical attention, but for now the rain that had begun to fall was cold and numbing, and if he focused on each tiny drop that pelted his exposed arms, legs, and neck, he found the pain easier to ignore. With a low, deep breath, he at last opened his eyes, ready to right himself, but the view before him froze him in place.

The mess of yellow hair, the lines on those round cheeks, and the all too calm expression on the usually lively face made his own features soften. This boy had chased him down, refusing to allow him to leave, even at the cost of his own life. Unconscious and breathing shallow, it would be so easy to finish what was started, despite his own weakened state. But with the heat of battle long gone so too had disappeared his unquenchable thirst for power no matter the price. Looking upon the face of the one who had become his closest friend, who bore his same scars of loneliness, his heart would simply not allow him to rob the life from the boy who had risked so much for his sake. Not right now. Not after what they had both just been through.

As the rain continued to fall, dripping down the tip of his nose and on to the deathly still face beneath him, the ache in his chest that he'd been pushing aside for what felt like an eternity grew, overpowering the pain from his injuries. And for the first time since the man he was destined to kill demonstrated just how big a gap in power there was between them, he felt a need greater than that of his need to become stronger, a need he could no longer pretend didn't exist.

His fingers absently brushed over the mark on his neck. The promise of power was there, waiting for him. He had tasted it himself. And yet the one lying before him had stood up to that power, matched it, even. The victory was his, but ultimately it rang hollow. He did not feel invincible nor was he convinced that his newly awakened abilities would allow him to defeat his one true enemy. No, what pushed him this far was not the dark, seductive power or his ever burning hatred. It was none other than the young boy lying motionless on the ground.

With a shuddering breath, he pushed himself back until he was sitting upright with his face skyward, eyes closed as the rain caressed his skin. Arms at his sides, he merely sat in silence, his mind numb, until at last his eyes opened and he turned them on the figure prone before him. His body ached, his energy spent, but after years of turmoil, his heart was, for now, calm. He knew he would likely someday forget this feeling and again be tempted to sacrifice those he cared about to complete his goal, but perhaps, just maybe, this loud, insufferable _usuratonkachi_ would be there to pull him back once more.

* * *

 _ **With These Scars**_

* * *

"Sasuke!"

Six weeks and four days. That's how long it had been since his perpetually moody teammate had run off, vanishing into the night with barely a trace, leaving his forehead protector signifying him as a ninja of Konoha neatly on his nightstand.

Naruto grit his teeth as he frantically searched the freshly made ruins. He had grown complacent. Ever since waking up to black hair in his face, pale arms carrying his battered body after their fight at the Valley of the End four years ago, he had watched Sasuke like a hawk, refusing to let him out of his sight whenever possible. If he had even the slightest inkling that his friend was about to bolt again, he'd step in, using his loud, often obnoxious personality to convince him otherwise. Somehow this had worked, and as the years passed, Naruto had felt his anxieties subside.

"Sasuke! Where are you, you jerk?"

Instead of kicking himself for his failure to see the latest warning signs, Naruto had immediately taken off in pursuit of his teammate, forgetting to tell even Kakashi or Sakura where he was going. Sasuke was unsurprisingly difficult to track, but at long last his search had proven fruitful when he met someone in a small town far from Konoha recognizing his missing team member and pointing him to the west. Shortly after heading out, he had felt the trembling of a fierce but distant battle and instantly headed toward it, unnatural smoke curling into the sky acting as his compass.

That had been over half an hour ago. It was clear that the collapsed structure he currently navigated was ground zero, splashes of blood and black scorch marks marring the few still standing walls and pillars. His heart pounded as he cast his blue eyes around wildly, unable to remain completely calm when he was so sure the one he'd been searching for was somewhere amongst the rubble.

"Damn it, Sasuke! Answer me!"

"...late as always."

The smile had barely begun to spread across his face when it suddenly collapsed in on itself, a quick turn of the head confirming with his eyes what his ears had already deduced from the quiet, almost mechanical greeting.

"Sasuke!"

Running closer to the figure slumped against what used to be a wall made every patch of crimson, every deep gash, every broken bone all the more pronounced. His left arm lay still, twisted to an odd degree at his side, his left ankle was clearly swollen, and his torn clothes clung to his pale skin, soaked in blood that Naruto could only hope did not all belong to him. But it was Sasuke's eyes that sent fear rippling down his spine. The hollow, lifeless gaze, a look he had seen on the boy's face only one time before, after Itachi had violated his mind, was never for a moment directed at him. Instead it was trained dully on the corpse at his feet wearing a tattered Akatsuki cloak.

"You jerk! What were you thinking, running off like that, idiot!"

Naruto couldn't keep the edge out of his voice as he crouched down next to Sasuke, his mind quickly trying to recall all the first aid that Sakura had forced him to learn the past few years. He fumbled through his things for his water pouch and dry cloth with one hand as he gently tried to search out the worst wounds with the other, doing everything he could to keep them from shaking.

"How many times have I told you, huh? I'm always gonna chase you down and drag you back, 'cause this is what happens when you're left to do what you want. You're pathetic! I'd beat some sense into you if you weren't already half dead! Idiot! Jerk!"

Only half dead. He wasn't dead yet, and there was no way he was going to die if the stubborn ninja had anything to say about it. Naruto quickly began tending to the goriest injuries, breathing out a short sigh of relief as it became apparent that indeed at least some of the blood was not Sasuke's. But his brow was still furrowed, and it took all of his willpower to not reopen already closing lacerations as he cleaned them a bit harsher than he meant to or pulled the bandages a little too tightly as he wrapped them.

"You're so selfish, ya know that? Not even for a second thinking about how much Sakura-chan is gonna worry about you. How do you think she'd feel if she saw - "

" _Naa_ , Naruto..."

Jerking slightly in his attempt to secure the broken arm, the quiet, clumsy words shook Naruto out of his diatribe. A quick glance at Sasuke's face made the knot in his stomach tighten as he realized the other boy's gaze remained locked onto the nearby body. He refocused on immobilizing the arm, setting as fast a pace as he dared.

"...what?"

"Why don't I feel anything?"

Naruto's hands stilled, his work momentarily forgotten as Sasuke slowly lifted his right hand, caked with his brother's blood, and at last tore his dark eyes away from the lifeless figure at his feet to stare at it blankly.

"I spent my whole life chasing him... the envy from my childhood turning to hatred... and I made killing him my singular goal... I trained and fought for years, not allowing my focus to waver... This was my purpose, my mission... to avenge my family and clan... so why..." Balling his blood-stained hand into a fist, his eyes returned to his brother. "...why do I feel so empty?"

A heavy pause hung briefly between them before Naruto resumed his work on the broken arm and said, "Because it doesn't change anything."

He could feel Sasuke's attention shift toward him for the first time as he deemed the arm properly secure and reached for more cloth and water.

"Killing Itachi doesn't bring your family back. It doesn't get rid of the years you spent alone, it doesn't resurrect the Uchiha clan, and it doesn't make that bastard any more forgivable." Naruto pulled the raised fist toward him and began gently wiping away the dried blood. "You wasted all your time worrying about something that can't change the past and didn't help you build a future. I mean, it's not a bad thing that a murdering bastard like him is gone, but you were so set on killing him that you didn't plan for what would come after that."

Uncurling the loosely balled fingers, one by one he washed them, careful of the cuts and bruises, until at last the hand was pale once more. Putting the dirty rag away, Naruto raised his eyes to Sasuke's, finding them again fixed on the now clean hand.

"It's over. He's gone. There are a lot of people back in the village that care about you, no matter how big of a jerk you are. It's time you pay attention to what you have instead of only thinking about what you lost. You don't have to be some lonely avenger anymore. Forget about him - " he jabbed a finger at the corpse " - and start living your own life!"

Naruto waited as patiently as one such as him possibly could for a response, feeling a surge of hope as Sasuke dropped his hand to his side and turned his head until their eyes met. At last there glowed a faint spark in the apathetic gaze, but as he remained silent, Naruto grew restless. With a loud huff and an irritated frown, he moved toward the swollen ankle, setting to work on securing it in case it too was broken.

"Of course one thing I won't let you forget is that you seriously tried to kill me four years ago, you jerk!" he said a bit louder than was really necessary as he tied off the bandages. "Punching a hole in my chest - even I had scars after that one! You're lucky you didn't go to Orochimaru, or I might have been forced to return the favor! Bastard!"

"...as if you could."

Whipping his head up with a glare and snide retort ready, Naruto quickly felt the words die on his tongue. Sasuke was wearing his signature smirk. It didn't hold quite the infuriating superiority that it normally did, but it was enough to breathe life back into his entire countenance.

The weight that had taken up residence in Naruto's gut for the past six weeks and four days seemed to lighten almost instantly, and he found himself unable to repress a smile.

"Guess I'll just have to bring you home so we can get you all fixed up and find out."

A comfortable silence fell between them as Naruto finished attending to his teammate's injuries as best he could. Once satisfied that all major cuts had been bandaged and bones secured, he stowed his remaining supplies and gently pulled Sasuke onto his back, willing himself to remain patient with every audible grimace that slipped past the other boy's stoic facade. Every step would be painful for his passenger. All he could do to alleviate that was to return to the nearby town as quickly as possible so he could find a real doctor and send word to Kakashi and Sakura of their whereabouts.

"Alright, here we go," said Naruto as he stood, feeling the grip of Sasuke's right hand tighten around his jacket in anticipation. And with one last, sidelong glance at the dead Akatsuki member, he was off. They had barely reached the edge of the ruins, however, when a soft voice spoke into his ear.

"Naruto..."

He kept his pace steady as he entered the surrounding forest.

"What?"

"...thank you."

The breath he'd been holding, fearful he'd have to come up with a different plan to get his teammate to safety, escaped as something between a laugh and sigh of relief.

"I told you, didn't I? No matter how many times you go running off like an idiot, I'll always be there to knock some sense into you and drag you back home. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't?" Naruto paused before adding, "Just make sure this is the last time. Jerk."

Black hair whipped around in his peripheral vision as Sasuke rested his head on his shoulder. The response he received was short and muffled, spoken into his jacket's collar, but Naruto could feel the sincerity in the other boy's voice nonetheless. With a smile and renewed determination, he pushed forward, the weight on his back more comfort than burden.

* * *

 _ **Can You Hear Me?**_

* * *

"Yeah... sorry."

Though he had barely the strength to utter the words above a whisper, it was obvious his message was heard from the way the shoulder and neck muscles he clung to seemed to relax, as if releasing a tension they'd been forced to deal with for far too long. Had he possessed the energy he would have laughed, those same shoulders still carrying the cause of their suffering only now in an actual physical form.

It seemed strange that this had all started with their positions reversed. Ever since choosing to save a life instead of extinguish it four years ago, being the one to bear the weight of his savior on his own back, he'd placed a yoke around his teammate's - his friend's - neck, linking them together in what he'd always intended to be a lonely goal. Being the one to convince him to return once left that mission up to him indefinitely, a responsibility the other boy had taken on gladly. But still the evidence had always been there that such a task was not carried out lightly. The usually mischievous blue eyes held a distinctly keener gaze, and the loudly opinionated boy often struggled to find the balance between being cloyingly clingy and allowing him time and room to sort through his own emotions.

And yet he had endured. Through years of his own stubbornness and pride, the other had never once tried to discard his job of both moral compass and friend to one constantly at war with his ingrained beliefs. He had only managed to circumvent the other's watchful eyes due to overhearing a rumor of his brother's whereabouts shortly after the two had parted for the night, deciding on impulse to leave immediately.

His brother...

If he closed his eyes, he saw a battered, broken corpse, two dark eyes staring back at him lifelessly, the red of the Sharingan gone from them forever. And so they remained open, the fluttering of yellow hair keeping them occupied.

He would not mourn the death of a selfish murderer. And yet he could not help the memories of days long passed when those eyes seemed to hold a kinder glint rising to the surface at the end of it all. How truly fortunate he was, then, that he had not severed his bond with the one person willing to risk everything for his sake. The memories of a brighter past, the emptiness of revenge, they may well have robbed him of his life had no one come to his aid. But despite his escape into the night, leaving team and village behind in search of personal gain, he had been chased down once again, his savior appearing before him in this the second time he found himself most in need of his help.

His grip on the other boy tightened, the words his friend had so passionately spoken to him earlier resounding in his head. Moving on from his revenge, living for a future... the concept seemed so foreign and surreal. But rather than mere advice, he'd also been given a starting point. Simply by being at his side, refusing to give up on him, laughing, breathing, living, he'd made himself an example - an example of a life worth emulating. If he who also knew the pain of loneliness would reach out and try to shoulder the burden of another, he knew he had no choice but to do his best to repay that unselfishness with the same vigor and purpose. It would be difficult. His heart had been hardened and calloused for so long, resistant to letting others in and his true feelings out. But this boy, his team, his village, deserved his effort.

He would no longer live for the dead. They would remain buried, mere memories. His life now belonged to a new cause, one that included making sure the light never left the eyes and smile of the one who even now carried the heavy weight of their friendship without regret.

* * *

 _ **So Am I**_

* * *

A/N: About a year and a half ago I wrote the first portion to go along with a drawing I'd done of Sasuke carrying Naruto after their battle at the Valley of the End, and, liking it well enough, I decided to expand it. Problem is I'm only in a Naruto mood once in a blue moon, so I wasn't sure if it'd ever get finished. When my next mood finally took hold, I refused to let it go until I had finished this. I'm glad I did. It was... cathartic.

As always, critics and grammar police are appreciated!


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